Improvement in cartridge-retractors for breech-loading fire-arms



Patented May 10, 1864.

vrrn- EEEDEEIc TRULENDER, OF SALEM, NEW JERSEY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 412.702, dated May 10, 1864.

To all whom it Emu concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERIO TRULEN- DER, of Salem, in the county of Salem and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for withdrawing the Shells of Exploded Gartridges from the Chambers of Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a longitudinal central vertical section of the breech portion of a fire-arm with my improvement attached, the breech being closed and the cartridge in place in the chamber. Fig. 2 is a similar section, the breech being open and the cartridge-case partly withdrawn from the chamber. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the breech-piece removed from the frame' The nature of my invention consists in letting into the face of the breech a forked lever which is hinged to its lower edge, said lever being operated by a spring catch or dog working through the side of the frame and engaging with a toe projecting from the lower cornor of the lever, all as hereinafter more particularly described.

To enable others to make and use my improvement, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the drawings, in which the same part is marked by the same letter of reference wherever it occurs.

A marks the breech-frame, and B the radial breech, which may be constructed and operated like the Burnside rifle. The details of its construction are not represented and need not be described, as I lay no claim to any other features than those relating to the withdrawal of the cartridge from the chamber. The chamber h is in the breech-piece B, and the cartridge which fits it, is made with a flange, t, which lies against the face f f of the breech. To the lower and forward edge of the piece B is hinged a forked lever, a, by means of the hinge d. The arms or prongs of this lever are received into recesses in the face of the breech-piece, and do not project beyond its surface. They thus lie in behind the flange of the cartridge, which they e1nbrace and hold securely by means of the lugs c 0. Two toes, b b, project forward at right angles from the lower end of the arms a a. A spring, 8, (see Fig. 2,) on the left side of the breech-frame has a dog, 6, on its free end,

which projects in through a hole in the frame into the slot in which the breech-piece moves. This dog is pressed inward by the spring 8, and is so formed that as the breech is thrown up, in the act of opening, into the position shown in Fig. 2, it engages with the toe b of the fork-lever and prevents it from going farther back, while it yields freely to the for ward and downward movement of the breech piece in returning to the locked position shown in Fig. 1.

The operation is as follows: After the piece is discharged, the breech is opened to the position shown in Fig. 2. As it passes to that position, the toe b of the fork-lever comes into contact with the dog 6 of spring 8. It is thus held while the breech continues its backward movement, and relieves the chamber of the shell of the exploded cartridge, which is left between the prongs or arms of the fork-lever, and can easily be removed by the fingers if it is not thrown out by the suddenness of the movement.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The fork-lever a, applied to the movable breech-block, and constructed, arranged, and operating substantially in the manner described.

The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed at Vashington this 9th day of March, A. D. 1864.

FREDERIO TRULENDER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. F. STANSBURY, E. R. STANSBURY. 

